Jack Carsten - Board Chairman; Partner, Horizon Ventures

Horizon Ventures is a venture capital partnership responsible for $150M in private and SBIC leveraged capital, with exclusive focus on early stage private companies. Offering the benefit of 60 years of operating experience and more than 25 years making seed and early stage venture capital investments, the Managing Directors have been helping entrepreneurs for the past 15 years turn startup ventures into successful companies. With headquarters in Los Altos, California, they invest predominantly in Northern California, with consideration given to investments elsewhere in California or other western US areas.

John Valencia - President and CEO, Toolwire

Toolwire is a learning solutions provider specializing in products and services for experiential learning. Empowering Higher Education institutions and Corporate Universities to deliver immersive “virtual internships” across a broad range of subject areas including Business, Healthcare, Legal, Applied Science, and Information Technology, Toolwire Learnscapes, StudentDesktops, Scenarios, and LiveLabs provide the quickest, most effective way to develop skills and ensure ongoing learning, knowledge retention, and competency.

David Arscott - Partner, Compass Technology Partners

Compass Technology Partners was established in 1988. They invest in emerging, high-growth potential, public and private companies with a focus on science and technology, innovation and intellectual property. Compass Technology Partners consists of an experienced team of technology investors and managers. As such, they possess the key development skills required for successful venture investment in companies, including technology assessment, financial experience, valuation knowledge, marketing strategy, and high-growth management. As a group, they have a full complement of relevant corporate, investment and venture management expertise.

Larry Finch - Partner, Sigma Partners

Founded in 1984, Sigma Partners is a leading early-stage venture capital firm. The Sigma team uses their deep operational experience to provide entrepreneurs with practical strategic counsel through every phase of company growth. With over $1.5 billion under management and bicoastal offices, Sigma invests in innovative technology startups across the United States. Some of the market leading companies Sigma has invested in include Atria, Cascade, Clarify, Internet Security Systems, KLA-Tencor, Octel, VeriFone, Vermeer, and Vignette.

Jerry Petruzzelli - Board Secretary; Partner, K&L Gates

K&L Gates represents leading global corporations, growth and middle-market companies, capital markets participants and entrepreneurs in every major industry group as well as public sector entities, educational institutions, philanthropic organizations and individuals. Our practice is a robust full market practice — cutting edge, complex and dynamic, at once regional, national and international in scope. In 2009 and 2010, our revenues exceeded $1 Billion and, as stated in the July 2010 issue of the UK publication Legal Business, the firm “has further cemented its position as the Global 100’s fastest growing firm.”